By Mike McGraw
Executive Director
HUNTINGTON – Anybody who thinks “Hoosier Hysteria” is on life support certainly didn’t make the trek to Huntington for the Class 4A northern semistate March 20.
This was Indiana high school basketball at its legendary best. It featured two talented, exceptionally well-coached and intelligent teams battling in front of 6,000 rabid fans that comprised an orange and neon green sea of sound.
In the end, sixth-ranked Warsaw triumphed over No. 13 Carroll (Fort Wayne) in a 58-53 game that was absolutely worthy of the atmosphere it created. The victory sends this legendary Northern Indiana program back to the state finals for a date with No. 3 North Central (Indianapolis), an 82-77 southern semistate winner over No. 12 Jeffersonville.
It only added to the intensity that these two clubs had faced each other just three weeks ago in the regular-season finale. Warsaw (23-2) claimed that game by nine points, 66-57. Carroll (21-4) learned from that lesson, and the opening eight minutes of this contest were as even as possible.
Warsaw went 6 of 12 from the field in the opening stanza, including three buckets from 3-point range. Carroll responded with 6-of-13 shooting, but four from long range. Combined, the two clubs committed only three turnovers.
As you might expect, the scoreboard reflected the even play. Carroll ended the period with a 17-16 lead. Looking back, however, Carroll accomplished something with that 4-for-7 trey success that the Chargers would struggle with the rest of the day against Warsaw’s ever-adjusting 2-3 zone.
By halftime, that long-distance marksmanship had trailed off to 6 of 13 for Carroll. The results were predictable as Warsaw controlled the second quarter of play, due mainly to the outstanding play of lightning-quick guard Nic Moore.
The 2011 Indiana Mr. Basketball candidate netted 15 first-half points and added five assists. Moore’s dynamic play was a trend that was to continue for the rest of the contest.
Nonetheless the Tigers’ lead was just 33-30 at intermission. And if Warsaw was frustrated at not being able to build a comfortable lead in the second period, the Tigers had to be downright beside themselves in the third.
Warsaw blanketed the Chargers for the entire quarter as Carroll scored just four points in the first seven minutes of the period. But the Tigers simply could not take advantage of the numerous opportunities they had to blow the game open, and it took nearly the entire quarter for the Tigers to open the lead to six points at 40-34.
That cushion was gone in the blink of an eye.
In the final minute of the third, Carroll’s Tyler Ault was fouled on a drive to the bucket. He sank the first charity toss to cut the margin to 40-35. He then missed the second but grabbed his own rebound, then not only netted the putback but also got fouled again.
When Ault sank that free throw, the lead was suddenly back to only two at 40-38. Warsaw succeeded in increasing it back to four by the end of the period, but the game was still very much in doubt.
Carroll started the fourth quarter with another old-fashioned three-point play, and the battle was on. Just how close to the vest was the final minutes of this one played? With 7:27 to go and the score 42-41, Carroll post player Shane Merryman picked up his fourth foul.
Without so much as wasting a single possession, Warsaw coach Doug Ogle called timeout to set up a play to take advantage of Merryman’s absence. It resulted in the Tigers canning two free throws to maintain the advantage.
The lead never exceeded five points in the closing minutes. Carroll tied the game once and cut the lead to two or less on three other occasions. The Chargers’ last gasp came in the closing seconds and, unfortunately for the Northeast Hoosier Conference tri-champs, typified their ultimate demise.
Warsaw, the outright Northern Lakes Conference king, led 56-53 with less than 30 seconds to play. Carroll effectively worked the ball and fed the post. When the Tigers’ zone collapsed, the pass from the pivot back to the perimeter presented a wide-open three attempt to tie the game with eight seconds to play.
The shot caromed long off the rim, though, and Warsaw survived. The last attempt was only one of many treys to go awry for Carroll in the final three periods. After beginning with that torrid 4-of-7 spurt in the first eight minutes, Carroll finished just 6 of 24 from beyond the arc.
Moore finished with 26 points for Warsaw and the respect of every single member of the capacity crowd. The 5’9” junior spoke with Hoosier Authority after the game (see video player!).
Merryman and Ault paced Carroll with 16 points apiece, while Stephen Jones added 14.
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